Dear Parents/ Carers,
I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and your kind words of reassurance and gratitude that have been sent to us over the last few weeks. Thank you also for providing the support and guidance to your children that we are unable to provide during this difficult time. Thank you to our amazing children who have been so dedicated, engaged, resilient and strong. We know that there may have been difficult moments over the last few months and many of you will have felt overwhelmed, but you have been fantastic and we are still here to support in any way we can.
As I am sure you are all aware, last Thursday the First Minister outlined the first phase of the easing of restrictions. Since then we have been working with East Renfrewshire Council to plan a timeline for June and to start making plans for August. At our in-service day on Tuesday the initial plan and timelines were shared with staff. I would now like to share them with you:
Monday 1st June – Senior Leadership Team return to school to plan transitions in June and prepare for August.
- Facilities management to deep clean school.
- Health and Safety to undertake risk assessment of building and provide resources and support to ensure Scottish Government guidance on social distancing and hygiene can be fully implemented.
Monday 8th June – Staff return to school. This will be a phased approach, staff will only be in certain days to organise classrooms and resources for August.
- Our hub children will return to St Joseph’s from 9am. Details will be sent to parents/carers currently utilising the hub.
Monday 15th June – Transitions will begin for our current Primary 7 moving into Secondary and for our Nursery children coming in to Primary 1. Details will be sent to parents/carers next week once dates and times have been confirmed.
August 11th – This is the date announced by the First Minister as the return to school. More information on August dates and arrangements will be sent to you in June.
Online learning will continue throughout June. Please remember our teachers will have other commitments throughout the month of June in school and may not be as quick to respond as they currently are. We will also be providing more fun activities as we move towards the summer holidays, just as we would in school. From the 1st June you will be able to contact the school by phone as our clerical staff will also return but I would ask that you do not come to the school without prior arrangement.
Currently there are many unanswered questions and I would ask for your patience and continued support as we try to navigate our way through the coming months. We have been tasked with a huge responsibility in making our school safe for our children and at the same time ensuring it is still the loving, nurturing environment that it has always has been. Our St Joseph’s family is strong and determined and we will work together and support each other to achieve this. Your fears and anxieties around returning to school and the easing of the restrictions are completely understandable and shared, and we will try our best to reassure you and your child.
Kindest regards
Suzanne Martin
Head Teacher
